Dangerous in Training (Aegis Group, #2)

by Sidney Bristol

  Hannah couldn’t begin to process what he was saying. It was...horrible.

  “When we got back I didn’t hide the truth. I didn’t go along with the lies. The only evidence they had our unit went rogue was my word. Four guys were charged. The rest got off with warnings. I couldn’t be there anymore. I couldn’t serve with men who’d done that, and then went back to civilian life like it was nothing. After the trial I was out. Who knows what would have happened to me? Those guys were pissed. I wouldn’t have put it past one of them to kill me and call it an accident.”

  He gripped her hand so hard she could barely feel her fingers.

  “But—you didn’t do anything wrong?” Had he...?

  “I didn’t kill anyone. But I’m just as guilty. I didn’t stop them either.”

  “How many of them were there? You couldn’t have stopped them all.”

  “No, but I could have—there were two guys. I could have changed their minds. With them on my side, we could have maybe, I don’t know. Things could have been different.”

  “You can’t tell me all of it, can you?”

  “I wouldn’t want you to know all of it.”

  “Is this why you think you can’t leave Aegis?”

  “The Navy won’t have me back. They want to bury that it ever happened. There were no bodies, no footage, and no questions.”

  “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other opportunities.” She sat up on her knees facing him, the sheet clenched under her arms, clinging to his hand. “You can do other things.”

  “What? What can I do? I have no education outside of combat training. My record and involvement in the case was supposed to be sealed, and yet—people know. Your dad knows.”

  “And he thinks you did something wrong?”

  “He, and others, take issue with my disloyalty to my unit. If I turned on them after they saved my ass, I’ll turn on anyone.”

  “That’s—crazy. What about your GI bill? You could go back to school.”

  “And do what? I’m not old, but I was never good at school. Besides, I like working for Aegis. I like protecting people. I don’t want to do anything else.”

  She understood—and she didn’t. Aegis wasn’t the only gig out there. Plenty of other companies had cropped up, offering men just like Mason something after their service. They might not pay as well, the jobs might be crappier—or better—but there were options. He just didn’t want to look at them. Or wouldn’t.

  If her father knew, so would others?

  And perhaps that was what she wasn’t seeing. That other companies might not take his word for what happened. That all they saw was a brother in arms who turned on the others. Yeah, she could see where that would severely limit Mason’s potential job pool.

  “What about being a cop? Law enforcement?” She ran her fingers over his knuckles, every last bit of hope dying.

  “I tried. That’s how I busted my knee.”

  “Oh. That’s what the course was for? I never realized that.”

  “Yeah. The trial was hard on my family. They got a lot of hate mail and some things were said. Zain was the only person that hadn’t cut me off there at the end of the proceedings. So I went to live with him for a bit, thought I could maybe cut it as a cop, but the knee happened and...here we are.”

  “I want things to be different.”

  “We don’t always get what we want.”

  “I know, but it doesn’t change what I want.” Which was him.

  She loved him.

  As crazy and stupid as it sounded, she loved him. Even more because he’d made the tough choice. Maybe not always, but he was the kind of man who did the right thing. Which meant when this ended and they went home, this was over. There would be no more future because for him, that was the right thing to do. And for her to press it, to push for more, would be cruel.

  Hannah lay down next to him and prayed the darkness hid her tears.

  Mason rolled to face her, his big hand cupping her cheek.

  They didn’t speak. There was nothing left to be said. It didn’t stop her heart from breaking.

  11.

  Mason finished drying the last dish and set it on the counter. He didn’t know how much sleep Hannah had gotten, but it couldn’t have been much. He’d lain awake, watching her for most of the night, and for a good while she’d been awake, too. Exhaustion had won out after a time, and they’d both crashed at least.

  The bathroom door opened and she stepped out, her clothing looking a little better after some spot washing.

  “Heard from Zain again?” She crossed to the counter and leaned her elbows on the surface.

  “He sent me a text earlier, said he was looking into the cell phone data.” The rest of what the message said wasn’t for Hannah’s ears.

  Things were bad.

  “You’re making a face,” she said.

  “I am?”

  “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  “What face are you talking about?”

  “Mason.”

  He straightened and leaned against the sink, facing her.

  “It’s not good,” he replied.

  “So, what is it?”

  “Zain poked around, asked some questions. The local cops are more likely to help Cruz than protect us.”

  “How—how can we possibly help the girls?” She cradled her face in her hands.

  “We have to be creative.” And ultra careful with where Hannah went and who saw her. After last night’s failed snatch and grab attempt, he was willing to bet there was a bounty on her head.

  “I shouldn’t be here.” She straightened. “You could do this if it weren’t for me. What could you have done last night if you hadn’t had to come find me?”

  Mason didn’t reply. Finding her, getting her somewhere safe, it took a lot of time because where she was concerned he wasn’t rational.

  “I can’t leave, because if I leave technically there’s no reason for you to be here or for Zain to support you, correct?”

  “Yeah.” Except he was in now. He’d seen these guy’s faces, he’d met the girls at the resort. He couldn’t turn his back on people who needed his help.

  “What if—what if I use that fake ID and book a trip home? I go stay with a friend or something. That would free you up to rescue them. I don’t know what I was thinking, why I thought I’d be any help, I’m sorry.”

  “The IDs won’t pass customs, but maybe...Zain could work with it.”

  “Then he’d know.”

  “Hannah, at this rate, I’m not leaving those girls in there, and Zain won’t cut off support. Not to me, and not to this situation.”

  “Then, should I leave? Is that a good idea?”

  If she left, that meant this was it. The pipe dream of them together was done with. Over. Selfishly he wanted to keep her close, but every minute she was in Mexico she was in danger.

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He reached for his phone. “I’ll call Zain and make it happen. He’s been watching flights out of here for a while.”

  He couldn’t fault her logic. He agreed with it. But from here on out, they wouldn’t have another chance to be together without extreme suspicion.

  “I was about to call you,” Zain said after the first ring.

  “Get Hannah a flight home. She’s leaving as soon as I can get her to the airport.”

  “Really? She’s going for it?”

  “Her idea.”

  “Good. That’ll free you up. I’ve got some...It’s not good news.”

  “Hit me with it.”

  “Looks like Cruz is holding an auction. Fancy, high priced kind of thing. I’ve got a listing of Cruz’s properties and I’m working on figuring out where he’d hold something like this. I could use some eyes on a few of these buildings.”

  “Send me a list—after you get Hannah’s travel arranged.”

  “I know there’s a flight leaving in ninety minutes I can squeeze her on.”

  “Make it happen. We’ll be ther
e.”

  Mason hung up the phone. Hannah was already packing up their things. A small pile of her belongings sat on the bed.

  “I figure I can leave this stuff here. Make the bag lighter for you.” She gestured at the tooth brush, her comb, and a few other feminine odds and ends she’d deemed important enough to escape with.

  “Good plan. I’m going to get us a ride. I’ll call you when to come down, okay?”

  “Mason, wait.”

  He paused in turning for the door. Hannah crossed the room, bracketed his face with her hands and leaned in.

  They shouldn’t kiss.

  Quitting cold turkey would be better.

  But it was Hannah.

  He wrapped his arms around her, sucking her tongue, palming her ass, committing every inch of her to his memory.

  They broke apart, staring at each other.

  There was nothing to say. The way she looked at him—being skinned alive would be easier to take. But she got it. She finally understood why being with him was a bad idea. For her sake, it was better this way. He just wished they’d gotten those five days of sand, sun, and sex to last them a lifetime.

  Hannah accepted her big, rolling bag from Mason with one hand and their cell phones with her other. He seemed to think Cruz’s operation wasn’t sophisticated enough their phones were still a liability.

  “Don’t turn the phones on until I get home. Plausible deniability.” He handed her the boarding pass and the fake passport.

  “Got it. Will you call my burner once a day? Give me an update?”

  “Zain might have to handle that one.”

  He was cutting their contact even now. Her insides ached. Every deflection, each new barrier he put up sliced her a little deeper. She’d resolved to not cry until she was through security and had a little privacy. Then, she’d bawl like a baby.

  “You need to go,” he said. “Stick to areas with lots of people and don’t leave your gate.”

  “I got it.” She shuffled her belongings and freed a hand.

  Hannah wrapped an arm around his waist, squeezing him tight.

  “Be safe?” It was the only thing she could ask him.

  Mason might as well have been a statue. He didn’t move, didn’t hug her back or even answer.

  Of course what he did wasn’t safe—that was the point. But he could lie to her make her feel better.

  “Okay, I’m going.” She released him and turned to hide the damn tears that weren’t cooperating.

  Hannah didn’t have to turn around to know Mason followed her all the way to the security entrance. She felt his presence, knew without a doubt he was there, watching her back.

  The security wasn’t TSA strict and she breezed through half of it before the tears started. One hiccup and she was done for.

  She stared at the ceiling, praying her eyes would dry up, but the halogen lights just got fuzzy around the edges.

  “Ma’am? Ma’am, you okay?” One of the security check employees approached her, brows drawn down.

  A woman in tears was probably not normal.

  “I’ll be okay, thank you.” Hannah glanced around, looking for her bag. It’d shot ahead of her on the belt, heading for screening.

  She shuffled forward, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “I will be okay,” she said out loud again.

  The person manning the metal detectors didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. The uncomfortable way he avoided looking at her said it all.

  Somehow she made it through the security screening before the first sob shook her. Hannah gathered up her things and retreated to a bench against the wall. She couldn’t go through customs crying like a baby. It would just draw unwanted attention to her.

  She sat forward and covered her face with her hands. As urgent as it was for her to get on with it, she didn’t get to pick when her heart broke.

  Life wasn’t fair.

  This wasn’t fair.

  None of it was fair.

  “Ma’am? Excuse me, ma’am?”

  “What?” Couldn’t they leave her be for a moment? Her world was breaking and she couldn’t get a damn moment to herself. She sat up, pushing her hair out of her face—and stared straight into the barrel of a gun.

  “You’re going to have to come with me, please, ma’am.”

  Hannah swallowed.

  Not fair at all.

  “I’ve got eyes on the location at Hidalgo.” Mason crouched on the roof of the building across a narrow street from one of Cruz’s largest properties. It appeared to be some sort of renovated waterfront warehouse. The exterior was updated, cleaned up and muted in comparison to its neighbors, and there was steady traffic in and out of the structure.

  “What do you see?” Zain asked through the headset.

  “A whole lot of activity. I’ve got what looks like four guards at the front of the building. The windows all look reinforced with bars. I see cameras. Whatever Cruz has inside, he doesn’t want anyone to see it.”

  “I’ve hacked into Rogelio’s phone. This can’t be his primary number. There’s not enough data here.”

  “So he uses a dedicated line to communicate with Luis?” That seemed excessive.

  “And other resort staff. Looks like a couple people in housekeeping, security, the front desk. There’s got to be a dozen people there that are working for Cruz on the side.”

  “Anything about the girls?”

  “Nothing direct, no. It’s all in code that could mean anything.”

  Mason peered through the binoculars into the windows. Between the slant of the sun and the dirty glass he couldn’t make it out.

  “The girls could be held here. The facility is big enough, but there’s no way to tell. Hold on, a van just pulled up.” Mason aimed the binoculars at the gray vehicle.

  The driver got out and circled the van. Unlike other people who’d come and gone, this one was wearing some kind of uniform.

  “What’s going on?” Zain asked.

  “The driver is getting the security guys to—they’re opening the van.” Two men crawled out, both with a hand on a tall, blonde woman. “Shit.”

  Mason’s blood went cold. He could only stare as the four men wrestled Hannah through the front doors. She fought back, struggling and striking out, but she was overpowered by numbers alone. He couldn’t take a shot without possibly hitting her, and he was too far away to do anything.

  “Mason? What is it?”

  “Hannah. They got Hannah.” He didn’t recognize his own voice. Everything was numb.

  She was his heart. His everything.

  This couldn’t happen. Not to her.

  “No, she checked into her flight,” Zain said.

  “How do we know she got on it?” Mason sat down hard and watched the doors slam close with a bang. He hadn’t protected her. This was on him.

  “I’m getting Travis and Luke. They’re in the building. We’re coming down there.”

  “They have her, Zain. I should have stayed with her.” Why hadn’t he seen her through to the plane? He should have.

  “You couldn’t have known they’d have someone at the airport.”

  “I should have gone with her.”

  “If they have someone at the airport, that same person could have killed you. Don’t think that way. You’re there for her. You’re going to keep watch until we get there. Then we’ll get her back. Do not move until you hear from me, understand?”

  Mason couldn’t reply.

  This was his fear, what he’d tried to prevent.

  And it’d happened anyway.

  He couldn’t promise Zain he’d wait. Getting Hannah back was more important than anything, and if he died doing it, so be it.

  Hannah jerked against the man’s hold. The bandana tied around her head as a gag cut into the corners of her mouth and the dust got stuck in her nose, making it hard to breathe. Fear gave her fight. She twisted, jabbing her elbows against her captors.

  If they got her into that building
, her gut told her it was all over.

  She tried to scream, but the gag and her lack of breath made it near impossible.

  Two sets of hands clamped around her arms and hoisted her up until her toes barely touched the ground. She thrashed, but they were too strong, and she was near exhausted.

  The heavy doors closed behind them with a clang, sealing her fate. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the dimmer light. There were people around her, but she couldn’t see them. The voices didn’t make sense. She couldn’t understand anyone.

  Handcuffs clicked around one wrist and then the other. Struggling was an effort in futility. There were too many of them to fight back against, and she hadn’t had enough sleep or food to be at her best.

  Where was Mason?

  She knew he was out there somewhere looking for Cruz and the girls. Would he find her? Did he know she hadn’t made it onto the plane?

  Her father’s voice sliced through the fog of fear.

  Know your surroundings.

  She jerked her chin up, cracking the top of her head into the face of one of her captors. The pain radiated through her skull while the man howled. She forced herself to blink, to see her situation.

  The room was big, polished concrete floors, exposed brick walls, and windows looking out on a rocky shore. There were men staring at her. She swallowed and took a step back, only to be shoved forward.

  She’d seen men staring that way before. They were usually the musclebound idiots hoisting the same weights over and over again without any concept of purpose or what was healthy. They were predators. Men who wanted women for one purpose. They were the same kind of bottom-feeders around her now. Only these were worse. No one got to tell them no.

  Her handcuffs were attached to a metal post in the ground with a ring set into the end. The man stepped back.

  She was surrounded. Literally.

  There were at least six men there, looking at her like she was dinner. Or the after dinner entertainment.

  Hannah gulped and turned, searching for something, anything, that might give her hope.

  She would not be a damsel in distress. That wasn’t her. She might be helpless—for now—but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be an opportunity.